Things are coming into focus for Ari Aster’s next film with Scarlett Johansson: we know what Scapegoat will be about, and it’s going to turn heads.
After blowing everyone away and establishing himself as one of the new, major voices in horror with Hereditary in 2018 and Midsommar in 2019, Ari Aster pivoted toward psychological, Oedipal drama and off-kilter thrillers with Beau Is Afraid in 2023 and Eddington in 2025.
Despite the modest box office returns of these two latest, still-unidentified film projects (12.3 million dollars grossed after spending 50 million on Beau Is Afraid, 13.7 million in receipts for a 25 million budget on Eddington), the director shows no intention of stopping his quest for unease and oddness that never fails to ignite critics’ passions.
His next film, Scapegoat, starring Scarlett Johansson and once again produced by A24, is likely to push the envelope of audacity and cynical commentary even further. That’s at least what the newly unveiled pitch seems to hint at.
With Scarlett Johansson, the scapegoat is sealed
According to Nexus Point News, Scapegoat (“scapegoat” in French) will indeed live up to its title, apparently. Since Scarlett Johansson will portray a surgeon who witnesses the death of a famous influencer on the operating table and who must face the fallout of this tragedy. She will be not only the target of fans’ questions but will also undergo constant scrutiny from the influencer’s wife and brother.
So far, nothing out of the ordinary: the premise seems intriguing, interesting, and ripe for a bloody examination of the human psyche as Ari Aster loves to conduct. The resonance with Eddington is also obvious, and, as World of Reel notes, it’s possible this could be the pseudo-sequel Aster has already hinted at.
Là où les choses se corsent, c’est lorsque Nexus Point News révèle que les personnages de l’influenceur et de son frère devraient être inspirés par Jake et Logan Paul, à savoir deux YouTubeurs et catcheurs américains, fièrement trumpistes, connus pour être aussi suivis que détestés et trempant dans moult polémiques et histoires sordides. L’un des scandales les plus célèbres ayant éclaboussé Logan Paul était sa fameuse vidéo affichant complaisamment les images du corps d’un suicidé trouvé dans une forêt japonaise, mais ce n’est qu’un exemple parmi bien d’autres.
Le personnage de la femme de l’influenceur serait inspiré, de son côté, par nulle autre qu’Erika Kirk, la veuve de Charlie Kirk qui a récupéré tout un business à la suite de l’assassinat de son mari (influenceur d’extrême-droite et fervent défenseur du permis de port et d’utilisation d’armes à feu) le 10 septembre 2025. Là aussi, on touche à une communauté de facto dangereuse et quelque peu susceptible.
Aster is likely to be looked at closely when it comes to drawing these illustrious figures, rendered in his film with near-disguised candor. Will he be sharp enough to draw the ire of fans of the Paul brothers and the American conservative right, or will he stay (too) tame? One thing’s for sure for anyone familiar with Aster’s cinema: the result is likely to be startling, painful, and satisfyingly unsettling. But perhaps not as much as the people who inspired his characters.
